Crazyfishlady Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 I tested my water today and noticed that the ph is lower in one tank 10 gallon - ph is 7.6 Here is a pic. It has wood (2 kinds) and IAL both are supposed to lower ph 2.6 gallon - ph is 7.2 Here is a pic - also has 2 kinds of wood and IAL (Sorry, can't get the pic to post straight) Why would it be different? Do I need more wood in the 10 gallon to lower it? Is it because the size of the wood compared to the size of the tank is greater in the small tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Is it because the size of the wood compared to the size of the tank is greater in the small tank? That would be my guess. It is substances leaching from the wood into the water that are affecting the chemistry, and if you put the same amount of acid into a smaller amount of water, it will have a greater effect. I don't know if you should attempt to change parameters. I generally feel that stability is more valuable than hitting a species' ideal parameters for a brief window of time as one attempts to "fix" things. Crazyfishlady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drip Loop Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 More wood = more tannins. Are all other factors equal? Substrates the same? Water changes done together? Check the KH and GH and/or TDS and that will tell more of the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 yup substrate is floramax in both. The little 2.6 cube has some inert black gravel on the top just for looks (yellow neos). Same plants, same water. More water changes in the little one only due to size. As for those terms I don't know much about yet (TD/KH etc) I am putting in an order for a test stick tomorrow and the other one too... learning all the new stuff The little one has a small piece of wood, but... as far as comparable to tank size, it does consume more room in the little one. I've just never been able to naturally get my ph below 7.6 even in my betta tanks (which is fine for them) so I found it odd that I got a 7.2 reading in the little tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 If purchasing testing supplies I do not recommend test strips for any parameters. They are super exspensive compared to liquid tests and are not accurate. A good gh and kh test kit by API is 6 bucks and a decent TDS meter is 20$. Combined with the API master test kit that should cover all the water tests you need for most shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted January 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 I have the API liquid test kit already, I never use the strips I have ordered (and am waiting for) the TDS test stick and the gh liquid test, I should have both by monday. I never tested the last 2 with my bettas, but since I now know it's an important part of shrimp keeping, I have them on their way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 1, 2015 Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 What is a TDS test stick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted January 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 ha... me and my terms... sorry, it's this thing http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDBZ1A2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 1, 2015 Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 Oh. LOL We call that a TDS pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted January 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 Oh. LOL We call that a TDS pen. I'll learn I call a lot of things 'things' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 1, 2015 Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 A lot of names and acronyms you'll pick up along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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